Merlin's Portal and the Tales of Time
by The Laziest Woman on Mars
Summary: Harry is drawn to something at King's Cross, something unexpected...James is just looking for a good time when he hears the voice. Suddenly the two hurtle through time, switching places. DISCONTINUED! Sorry for those who enjoyed this...
1. Merlin's Portal

Switching Places  
  
Author's Note: Hiya! Just an idea I had suddenly. I hope you like...but just a warning, I probably won't update this often, as I am working on four other stories at the moment. I will update once in a while, though! Hope ya' like!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters or plot from these stories. And if you thought I did you have major issues.  
  
Chapter One  
  
The shrill clamor of the alarm clock rang in Harry's ears. Blindly he reached out to the bedside table, searching for the clock. When he found it, he pressed the button, thankful when the noise stopped resonating through his head. He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
Everything came into focus as he slipped on his glasses. The room was completely bare, except for a trunk beside the door. On top was a cage in which sat his owl, Hedwig. She hooted in irritation, unused to being locked up for so long...since Harry's aunt and uncle had finally allowed him to unlock her cage, he had left her door almost constantly open, leaving her free to fly about as she pleased.  
  
Only the day before, it had been much different. Piles of books and various sheets of parchment had covered the floor, and his robes had been draped over the headboard of his bed. However, everything was packed.  
  
Harry was on his way to his seventh and final year of study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
"Morning, Hedwig." He yawned as he quickly changed out of the T-shirt and jeans he had fallen asleep in and into a clean set of clothes. "You ready to get out of this prison?"  
  
Hedwig hooted back. He grinned...because he knew as well as the owl seemed to that, after he graduated from Hogwarts at the end of the year, he would never have to return to the Dursley's again.  
  
"Yeah, I know." He stretched as he opened to door. "I won't be sorry if I never see it again, either."  
  
He walked downstairs, in as pleasant a mood he had ever been in at the Dursley's. He sat down at the breakfast table and looked around the table. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were partaking of their favorite morning activity...ignoring Harry's existence...and Dudley was eagerly consuming the vast amounts of food on his plate.  
  
"Good morning." He said after a long moment, making them all jump. Aunt Petunia put her hand over her heart.  
  
"Will you refrain from trying to kill us all?" she said shrilly. "Startling us when you know that...that...MAN is coming. No doubt he'll turn my ickle Duddikins into some sort of..." She froze, realizing that she was talking about magic, and shook her head. "No, no...leave us in peace."  
  
With a snort Harry turned to his plate. He ate his pathetic slivers of bacon and a thin piece of toast without hesitation---he knew that, as he would soon be boarding the Hogwarts Express, he would be getting all the food that he could want.  
  
"When is that man arriving?" Aunt Petunia said after a long period of silence. "And how?"  
  
"Any minute now." Harry said, looking down at his watch. "And I believe he's apparating."  
  
"Appa...what is..."  
  
"Oh, it's where you appear out of thin air." Harry said, smiling darkly. "You know, just...POOF!"  
  
Uncle Vernon glared at Harry from over his newspaper. "There will be no mention of these subjects under my roof." He said loudly. "Ungrateful whelp! What reason do you have to try and scare your aunt and cousin like that?"  
  
"I'm...I'm not scared." Said Dudley with hesitation. He was pale and shuddering all over. "I'm not scared of Harry."  
  
'Oh, really?' Harry thought smugly. 'Then why are you shivering like you've just had a bucket of ice thrown over you?'  
  
He looked at his watch again. Mr. Weasley had said he would arrive at eight-thirty, and it was now eight twenty-nine...his thoughts were interrupted when he heard another scream. He looked up and grinned. "Mr. Weasley...you're right on time."  
  
"I said I would be." He grinned. "And I've got the portkey ready to take you right back to King's Cross...right to the train! Where's your trunk?"  
  
"In my room." Harry nodded. "How are we going to get it to the train?"  
  
Mr. Weasley shrugged. "Easy enough. Shrinking spell. Just put it in your pocket, and we'll be ready to go. I'll go get it...you just finish your breakfast." He started up the stairs and paused, turning around. "Oh, hello there." He said, smiling at the Dursley's. "How are you?" They said nothing. Mr. Weasley just shrugged and turned back, heading to Harry's room.  
  
He ate the rest of his breakfast and had already turned to leave when Mr. Weasley came back. He tossed Harry the small black box in his hand...Harry's trunk. With a grin he opened it up and pulled out a small silvery object. "Look, my invisibility cloak." He snorted. He slid it over his finger, making it disappear.  
  
Mr. Weasley laughed. "Yes, shrinking is fun...I guess you'll probably learn them this year. They aren't hard, but students can't seem to resist shrinking everything in sight."  
  
"I can imagine." He grinned as he replaced the cloak and closed the trunk, slipping it into his pocket. The Dursley's were staring at him. He picked up Hedwig's cage. "Is the portkey ready?" he said.  
  
Mr. Weasley nodded. "I have it...come on." Harry had just started to reach out for the object when he froze, a wicked gleam in his eyes.  
  
"No..." he muttered. "I...I want to say goodbye to my...family...before I go." Mr. Weasley smiled knowingly.  
  
"Then...go ahead, Harry."  
  
Harry smiled and turned to his aunt, uncle and cousin. "I've spent the last sixteen years of my life here. You've given me a home...and a nice cupboard to live in," he started, grinning darkly, "you lied to me, starved me, ignored me, and abused me in every manner that you could." He grinned, putting his hands behind his back.  
  
"So you can imagine how pleased I was to find out I was a wizard. Of course, you aren't allowed to use magic during the summer...so I have never had the pleasure of showing you my abilities." His eyes suddenly went dark. "But, fortunately, I will be graduating from Hogwarts this year. Just remember...for all the things you've done for me...I'll be sure to repay you the favor."  
  
He turned to Mr. Weasley and put his hand on the large umbrella he was holding. He turned back to the Dursleys, looking at them for the last time. "Goodbye. Forever." He murmured as he was jerked away. Harry Potter never saw the Dursleys again.  
  
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"James! Wait up!" Sirius ran to James, skidding to a stop in front of him. "Hey, Prongs, you trying to leave me behind?"  
  
"Walk faster, Padfoot." James sneered. "I was going to find the wise and beautiful Lily Evans..."  
  
"Oh, your girlfriend." Sirius shook his head. "You really are whipped, aren't you?"  
  
"By somebody that beautiful?" James said brightly. "Heck, yeah." Sirius followed James towards a group of girls who were standing beside the train. They started giggling...it was well known that many of them had had crushes on the adorable James Potter and his sly, sexy friend Sirius for many years.  
  
"James!" Lily cried. She rushed forward, throwing herself into his arms. She gave him a loud, noisy kiss on the lips. "How are you darling?" she said comedically, fluttering her lashes.  
  
"I feel whole again, Lily, now that I am again in your arms." He bent her over lower, planting kisses down her neck. She giggled loudly and pushed him away.  
  
"James, you are such a dork! I can't believe they actually made you head boy!"  
  
"They had to." He said. "You are Head Girl...thus, it is destiny we should rule the school together. Imagine, Lily...the power, the greatness...all the first years, at our beckon and call..."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "I can't believe this. I'm dating James Potter, class clown and self-proclaimed arse of the school. Where did my life go wrong?"  
  
"And when did so wrong become so...right?" he hissed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She snorted and leaned over, putting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"You know, I can't help but like you, James Potter." She said slyly. "Of course, you know I'm dating you only because you have rich parents and you are a whiz on the Quidditch field?"  
  
"Ah..." he clutched at his chest. "You've shattered me heart, lassie. I kin yeh did na jest insult me like tha'?"  
  
"When did you turn Scottish?" Sirius snorted. James shook his head.  
  
"Hey, Prongs! Padfoot!" Remus ran up, grinning merrily. "Hey, guys!"  
  
"When are you going to tell me what those odd nicknames mean?" Lily said, looking at them suspiciously.  
  
"When you marry me." James said. "And not a day before."  
  
"Then you'll have a long wait." She said cheerfully. "The thought of marrying you...what shivers that gives me!"  
  
"It's okay." Sirius said, patting James on the shoulder when he broke out in fake tears. "I'll marry you, James." James turned and grasped Sirius' hands.  
  
"Oh, will you? You'll make me the happiest bride ever, Sirius! I love you!"  
  
Remus shook his head. "I can't believe I'm actually friends with you two." He murmured.  
  
"We love you too, Remus!" Shouted James, pulling him into their hug. "We'll all marry each other!"  
  
"What about me?" Peter Pettigrew huffed. He had just run up, and was knelt over.  
  
"Nah." James said, shaking his head. "You're not like us. Because Sirius and Remus and I are the SEXIEST MEN ALIVE!" A passing group of Ravenclaws turned and stared at them for a moment, making the group burst into laughter.  
  
"Come on." Snorted Remus, grinning and shaking his head. "We better get on the train before we're late. I wouldn't want to have to find an alternate route to Hogwarts."  
  
They started towards the train. But suddenly...  
  
"Did you hear that?" James said, freezing. His friends turned to stare at him.  
  
"Hear what?" Lily said. "Are you hearing voices again, James?"  
  
"No...no..." he turned. "It wasn't...listen, you guys just go on to the train. I'll be back in a second..." Shrugging, they turned back and walked to the train. James walked slowly, hearing it again...  
  
'James...' it whispered. 'Come, and find what you seek...'  
  
"Find what?" He murmured. He walked through the thinning crowd to the back wall of the platform. He froze and stared at the place the sound had come from...a small crack was there, and something glinted from just inside. He reached out to it and felt a giant tug in his navel, before he went flying forwards.  
  
'A portkey?' he thought wildly. 'But...where is it taking me? And why?'  
  
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"Harry!" Ron and Hermione waved at Harry through the crowd. He had just arrived. He put his trunk in his pocket and jogged to them, smiling.  
  
"Harry, I'm so happy to see you!" Hermione said, hugging him. "And I'm so happy you left those awful Dursley's for the final time!" She laughed loudly, kissing him on both cheeks.  
  
"Yeah." Ron said, grinning. "I knew you could make it, Harry. Why don't we go turn him into a toad for sport when we graduate? It can be your gift to them for so many...memorable...years."  
  
Harry snorted, but shook his head. "Nope. I don't ever want to see them again, for any reason. The moment I left Number Four Privet Drive, I knew I'd never lay eye on that hideous place again."  
  
Hermione and Ron took him by the arms. "Well, why don't we go on and get on the train then? So we can start off on the greatest year of our life, eh?" Harry smiled.  
  
"Yeah..." he froze when it came to him.  
  
"What is it?" Hermione said, realizing he had stopped walking.  
  
"Did you hear that?" he said after a moment.  
  
"N-no..." Hermione looked over at Ron. Both knew the results when Harry started hearing voices.  
  
"Listen...I'm going to stay behind for a moment." When they started to protest, he pulled away and started walking. "I'll be back! Don't worry!"  
  
He jogged, freezing when he heard it again. 'Harry, I can make your every wish come true...come Harry...'  
  
"Where are you?" he whispered. And he saw it...the glint of something behind a crack in the stone wall. He walked over and slowly reached out his hand, touching it...  
  
With a great tug, he felt himself falling forwards, onward until he hit the ground. He stood, thinking wildly that he had just touched a portkey...that had certainly been what it felt like. But when he looked up, he saw he was still in King's Cross. Looking back at the wall, he backed toward the train, breaking into a run when the whistle suddenly blew.  
  
"I'm coming!" he shouted. The train was already beginning to move when he reached it. He jumped and felt several hands catch onto his, pulling him into the train.  
  
"There you are!" a familiar voice said loudly. "I was beginning to worry..." the voice paused and Harry slowly looked up. "Who are you?" said Sirius.  
  
Harry was staring directly at the eighteen year old forms of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and...his mother.  
  
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"Oof!" James grunted when he landed on his back. He stood slowly and looked around him. He was still in King's Cross...he supposed whatever had happened, it had just been some joke...probably Snape or that Malfoy git.  
  
As the train whistle blew, he jogged to the train. He jumped on and blearily sat down. He turned when he heard a girl sigh.  
  
"Harry, you really shouldn't go wandering off, when you know..." she froze when she looked at him.  
  
"Who are you?" he said, looking around him. "Where are my friends? Where is my girlfriend?"  
  
"Oh, no." The girl murmured, turning to the redheaded boy beside him. "Do you realize who that is?"  
  
The redheaded boy nodded and stared back at James. "Yeah." He said hoarsely. "It's...that's James Potter!" The girl nodded. James looked back at them, feeling an odd feeling creep up his spine.  
  
"I didn't realize I was so famous." He muttered.  
  
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So, what do you think? 'Tis an odd concept, I know...special tribute to Jasmine Black, I got this idea after reading your story, Vixens. If you people haven't read that story, you SHOULD! It is really good, and quite funny! Please read! 


	2. The Ebb and Flow of Time

Switching Places  
  
Author's Note: Hiya! Taking time off to write this story. I am just making it up as I go along. I hope you like it!  
  
Disclaimer: Alas! That I should own Harry Potter, but nay...alas, I do not...  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"Who are you?" Harry looked at the group, staring at them in disbelief.  
  
"I...how did I get here?" he said nervously.  
  
Sirius turned to Remus. "You think there's something wrong with this bloke, Moony?"  
  
Remus shook his head. "Nope. Its James...he's just trying to fool us with some simple transformation charms." He grinned evilly. "James, transfiguration class should have taught you we couldn't be fooled by those tricks." His eyes flickered up to Harry's forehead. "What is that? Like anybody would have a scar shaped like that."  
  
Harry felt a sensation of panic in his stomach. "I'm not James!" he said. "I've never even met him!"  
  
"So, you don't know who James Potter is?" Sirius snorted. "Come, now. If you aren't James, then you must be related to him. What's your name."  
  
"Harry...Harry Potter." Harry stammered, looking at all of them. "Can you please tell me how I got here?"  
  
"Oh, Potter." Peter said. "So you are related to James?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Then you ARE James." Lily said, laughing out loud. "You dork, why are you trying to fool us?" she looked into Harry's eyes and burst out laughing. "Oh, look everyone, he has my eyes..."  
  
"Maybe it's your son, Lily..."  
  
Harry, feeling a sense of panic, rose quickly. "I...she is my mum! She died when I was a year old!"  
  
Lily got a look of surprise on her face and suddenly looked down at herself. "Oh no! I'm dead?" she began poking herself. "I don't know, I feel pretty alive today." Then she turned back to Harry. "But how did you know I was forty? Because obviously I didn't have you when I was just born."  
  
Harry shook his head, staring widely at them. "No...you don't understand, really! I'm not James! James was my father! I'm...I'm not from this time...your time. I'm from the future..."  
  
At this the group burst out in laughter. "Original, Harry." Sirius said, emphasizing his 'fake' name. "That one really got to me."  
  
"This has to be some sort of joke." He said, nervously standing and looking out of the window of the train. "Malfoy or something...one of them did this to me..."  
  
"Lucius? James, Lucius graduated three years ago. I don't think he's around...well, he might have to take another class, you never know..."  
  
"Yeah, stick to blaming things on Snape. He's always a good target." Harry shook his head and sat back down. And when he did, he felt the hard lump in his pocket. He looked at them quickly.  
  
"Do any of you know how to un-shrink a shrinking spell?"  
  
"Duh." Sirius shook his head. "Ask Remus. He knows every spell there is."  
  
"Then I can prove it." Harry said fiercely. He pulled his trunk from his pocket. "This is my trunk...open it up. You'll see I'm not from here." The group looked at the two of them. Remus shrugged and set the trunk on the ground, readying his wand.  
  
"Engorgus Shrinkus!" he bellowed. The trunk began to swell until it was back to normal size. Harry rushed forward and opened it up. They all looked in and began to laugh.  
  
"Yes, your Invisibility Cloak is going to convince us you aren't James." Sirius said, shaking his head. "James, stop this. It's getting weird."  
  
"Quiet!" Harry started digging through the trunk. Finally he came across what he had been looking for. "Here! Look at this!" he said, shoving the large picture album into Lily's hands. She looked at the others before rolling her eyes and opening the book.  
  
"Oh...pictures. I didn't realize you were so sentimental James. This is from our fifth year."  
  
"No, look at the ones in the back. Just look!" Lily turned to the back and paused.  
  
"They're pictures of us...older." she got a strange look on her face. "Look...we just took this one this morning." She said. "You couldn't have developed it...and you couldn't have made these up..."  
  
"No. I couldn't have." He shuddered as he looked at Peter, but didn't say anything. He needed them to believe he wasn't James...attacking one of his father's best friends wasn't the way to gain their trust. "I got those in my first years of Hogwarts...and here, look at these." He pulled out a stack of newspaper clippings and handed them to Remus.  
  
"Harry Potter...and yet another with Harry Potter, and...Sirius Black?"  
  
"What?" Sirius took the clipping Remus was holding. "ME?" he read it and got an odd look on his face. "What am I...this isn't funny, James. I would never kill anybody...stop the prank, it's getting old."  
  
"I don't think it's a prank." Remus said, looking at Harry.  
  
"Why?" Peter asked.  
  
"Look at that broom...nothing like that exists today." They all turned. Sirius picked up Harry's Firebolt.  
  
"Come on...this thing can't be real. It's too..." As if on command, the Firebolt lifted from his hands to hover in the air. Harry cocked a brow.  
  
"Now do you believe me?"  
  
Lily shook her head. "Boys. Expect them to believe this guy, just because he's got a fancy broomstick."  
  
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"How do you know who I am?" James said, staring at the girl with bushy brown hair and the redheaded boy.  
  
"Because...everybody knows who you are! What are you doing here?" she asked.  
  
"I'm...going to school. With everybody else." He stood and started walking away. "Listen, I think I had better go..."  
  
"What year do you think it is?" The girl said. James paused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What year do you think it is, James?"  
  
"It's 1976." He shook his head. "Why?"  
  
"It's not 1978." She said excitedly. "It's much later than that!"  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked, sitting back down. "Of course it is."  
  
"No, it isn't." She smiled proudly. "It's 1997. You've come twenty years into the future."  
  
"What?!" he stood quickly. "Okay, you two are crazy." He shook his head. "I'm leaving..."  
  
"Don't!" She rushed forward and grabbed his arm. "Listen, you can't go! You have to understand, we're not crazy or lying or playing a joke on you. You're in 1997!"  
  
"If I am, then where am I?" he crossed his arms. "My parent's always say I won't amount to anything...I'd like to see if they are right."  
  
"You're dead!"  
  
James looked at them blankly. And wordlessly, he turned to leave.  
  
"Listen! We know all about you...prongs!" James paused and turned back.  
  
"You've heard my friends call me that..."  
  
"How could we, if you've never seen us? You're friends are Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, right? And you're dating Lily Evans!"  
  
"Uhm...yes. All right...so you know that. You could have found that out anywhere."  
  
"But could we have also found out you were an illegal animagus anywhere?" she hissed. "A stag?"  
  
James paled and rushed forward. "Shh!" he hissed. "How did you know that?"  
  
"We know all about you...the rat, the dog, the stag...and the werewolf." James turned even whiter. "We know..." she continued, "because our best friend is your son, Harry!"  
  
James shook his head. "My son? But..."  
  
"Yes. Your son with Lily."  
  
"I...how is this possible?" he shook his head. "That thing...it wasn't a portkey..."  
  
"What thing?" she said quickly.  
  
"In the wall...I heard something, and found some weird thing. I touched it, and it felt like a portkey...and here I am."  
  
"Harry heard something before he left, too." The girl said quickly. The boy nodded---he hadn't spoken one word the entire time.  
  
"So...so what are you saying?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"You've...you've switched places in time with your own son!"  
  
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"Well, this proves he isn't James." Remus said, looking at his watch. "If this were a spell, it would have worn off by now."  
  
Lily shook her head. "This is so strange...I don't understand."  
  
"Did...did my fath...James...hear anything before he left?"  
  
"No..." Sirius froze. "Actually, I think he might have..."  
  
"So did I." Harry said, leaning back. "And then I touched something...it transported me like it was a portkey, except I turned up right where I started...except twenty years earlier."  
  
"It seems like I've heard about something like that." Remus said. "I should look that up when I get back to school."  
  
"So...so all of you believe me now?"  
  
"Seems like we have to, doesn't it?" Sirius said, grinning. "So...I escaped from prison, did I? Incredible...do I meet any attractive female ex-convicts on the run?"  
  
"Nope." Harry shook his head. "Sorry. You live with Remus and a Hippogriff named Buckbeak."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Long story." Harry shook his head. "I'll tell you later. You're my godfather, by the way?"  
  
"Really?" Sirius laughed loudly. "Thanks Lily!"  
  
"James forced me into it, I'm sure." She replied, turning her nose at him.  
  
"Must have." Remus said. "I'm much better godfather material."  
  
"What about me?" Peter said, pouting.  
  
"Nah." Sirius said absently. "You're not one of the Sexiest Men Alive."  
  
"Excuse me?" Harry said, shaking his head.  
  
"Ahh...forget it, Harry...you don't want to know." She sighed. "So you're my son? Just don't call me mum, please...I don't think I'm quite ready for that."  
  
Harry sighed. "Don't worry. I'm just trying to figure this all out."  
  
"Trying to figure what out, Potter?" came a voice from behind. They all turned.  
  
"Go away, Snape." Called out Sirius. "Geeks aren't allowed in here...except Remus, anyway."  
  
Harry stared at Snape for a long moment. And quickly burst out laughing.  
  
"What are you laughing at, Potter?" said Snape darkly. "Don't make me do something you are going to regret."  
  
Harry shook his head. "This is wonderful." He pointed at Snape. "Did I mention that he's my Potions professor?"  
  
"Him?" Sirius said, going wide-eyed. "Really?" And promptly the rest of the group began laughing as well.  
  
Snape sneered at them. "What is this?" he said. "You better not be planning anything..." He froze when he saw Harry. "What? You're not..."  
  
"Nope." He said. "I'm not James. I'm his son...from the future. You're my teacher, by the way...my worst teacher, I might add." He smiled and turned to Sirius. "You know, saying all this is quite fun..."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Snape said angrily.  
  
Lily looked at Snape and shook her head. "Go away, Severus. You aren't part of this."  
  
"Yeah." Harry laughed. "Go away you greasy-haired idiot." He sighed. "Wow, I've wanted to say that to you for years."  
  
"I..." Snape clenched his jaw and pulled out his wand. "You'll pay for that, whoever you are."  
  
"Go ahead." Harry said darkly. "Try it..."  
  
"No!" Lily rushed forward, grabbing Harry's shoulder. "Listen, go away Severus. I mean it! He really is from the future...hard to believe, I know..."  
  
"I won't leave, until..."  
  
"GO!" she raised her wand and pointed it at him. He went flying back through the doors, which slammed shut behind him.  
  
"Nice one, Lily." Peter said.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
After a half-hour, the train finally stopped. Harry glanced out...Hogwarts, as he remembered it, though he noticed many of the trees were younger and Hagrid's cabin was still intact...it had been blown up by one of Hagrid's creatures in Harry's sixth year.  
  
"Well...I guess we better get you to Dumbledore." Lily said, sitting across from Harry. "I mean, he can help you. I'm sure of it."  
  
"Yeah." He said, looking out the window as the castle grew nearer and nearer. "I can't stay here forever, can I?"  
  
The carriage slowed and Harry jumped out, followed by the rest of the group. They went quickly into the castle. Lily glanced around. "There...McGonagall!" Lily hissed. Harry glanced around to see a younger, but still stern, McGonagall.  
  
"Let's go!" he hissed. They walked up to her. "Uhm...Professor?" he murmured. She turned and looked at him.  
  
"Yes, Potter?"  
  
"I need to see Professor Dumbledore immediately." He said quickly, looking about him nervously.  
  
"Why? The feast starts in a few minutes, and he is obviously busy. Whatever it is, I can help you..."  
  
"It's an emergency!" Harry said. Suddenly, he felt a cold shiver down his spine and said the only thing he could think of. "It's...about Voldemort!"  
  
She shuddered upon hearing the name. "This...you better not be joking!" she walked to the table and said something in Dumbledore's ear. He looked down at Harry and the rest of them and nodded as he stood and started heading their way.  
  
Harry felt cold wash over him. He looked into Dumbledore's eyes. "Professor, I..."  
  
"I can help you." He said quickly. "Come with me...the rest of you, go on to the feast." They went slowly to their table as Dumbledore led Harry to his office. Harry sat in the chair and looked awkwardly at his hands.  
  
Dumbledore looked at him, his eyes twinkling. "Now tell me...who are you exactly? And where did you come from?"  
  
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The girl---who had identified herself as Hermione---and the redheaded boy whose name James had been told was Ron, dragged him up to the head table. "Professor!" Hermione hissed.  
  
"Miss Granger...what are you doing here?" Professor McGonagall said quickly. "Go to your table."  
  
"Do you recognize him?" she said, nodding at James.  
  
"Yes." McGonagall said with exasperation. "Mister...Potter?!" she paled quickly. "Oh God...is that you, James?"  
  
"Yes, Professor." He said, grinning with amusement. "Wow, you look a lot older than you used to. What about me? Do I look the same?"  
  
Dumbledore looked over and stood quickly. "I'll take it from here, Minerva." He said quickly. He stepped down and motioned to the hall. "James, come. I know it's really you...not some prank." He led him down the hall. "I dare say you remember where my office is?"  
  
"I've only been there a few hundred times." James said, shrugging. "Can you please tell me why I've found myself in 1997? I knew I overslept, but this is a little much..."  
  
"You touched something at King's Cross, didn't you?" Dumbledore said, turning. James froze.  
  
"Well...yes..."  
  
"I knew it." Dumbledore sighed. "Fizzing Whizzbies." He muttered. The statue sprang aside and he entered, James in front of him. He opened the door. Fawkes the phoenix looked up and made a soft sound. James sat and stared back at Dumbledore.  
  
"So?" he said finally. "What is going on?"  
  
"We sealed up the portal long ago..." he muttered. "The muggles built their station there, so we had to do something...but none of us realized the ministry would make it into the loading dock for Hogwarts. I've worried for years..."  
  
"The...portal?"  
  
"Time Portal." Dumbledore sighed. "It was made by Merlin, himself...and it allowed the user to transport forward or backward twenty years in time." James stared.  
  
"So...I can just touch it again, can't I?"  
  
"No...you can't." Dumbledore shook his head. "Merlin made only one flaw when creating the portal. It was designed so as not to change history, so unless we can calculate the exact time to send you to, there will be two of you in one dimension...and when that happens, the ebb and flow of time is twisted beyond recognition...you could ruin the world."  
  
"So..." he said slowly. "How do you figure out how to send me back?"  
  
"I don't know." He sighed. "Only Merlin has ever figured that out.  
  
After a long while, James finally left, heading towards the Gryffindor common room. When he got to the door, he stumbled into somebody.  
  
"Professor? I've just heard the most ridiculous..." the man froze and looked down into James' eyes.  
  
"Oy...Severus." James snorted. "Wow, you look even uglier than you did as a kid. So much for saying time heals all wounds. You still got that stick up your arse?" he chuckled. "Yes, it is me, didn't expect that one, did you? But don't worry...you know what a great student I am." He walked away, saluting with one hand. "See you in class...I'm looking forward to having Sevvie as a teacher."  
  
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So, whaddya think? Different, eh? Just a lighthearted piece of work to keep you from getting too down. Please R & R and tell me what you think! I love to hear what you people have to say! 


	3. Entrance Into Another Time

Merlin's Portal and the Tales of Time  
  
Author's Note: Wow! You like this story, huh? It was an experiment, I didn't know if I would continue, but I guess I will, thanks for all the nice things you said!  
  
Disclaimer: If I was J.K. would I be writing fanfiction? Heck no! I'd be wallowing in my piles of money and writing the NEXT HP book for all us loyal HPFREAKS!  
  
Chapter Three  
  
"How can you be so happy...I mean, knowing what happens to you, and that it can't be changed?" Ron asked James, who was eagerly shoving his food into his mouth. James sat up and swallowed, looking at Ron with amusement.  
  
"Do you think I really believe time can't be changed? Come on. My entire life, I've learned you can get around any rule, no matter how unbreakable it seems. This is just another challenge, and one I fully intend to beat."  
  
Ron sighed. "I just hope you're right."  
  
James snorted. Ron kept glancing at him...he actually looked almost identical to Harry, what with the adjustments made on him. His eyes now looked green, thanks to a clever pair of glasses which changed their shape and color, and a mirror spell had given him a scar on his forehead identical to one on a photo of Harry they had used to make the spell complete.  
  
Hermione walked over and sat down next to them. Ron was glad that she hadn't heard their conversation...she always did tend to get a tad nervous whenever he and Harry talked about rule-breaking...he guessed reasonably that having the infamous Prongs running around school wasn't going to help her already nervous constitution.  
  
"Hey, guys." She said. "Hey, Harry." She said, winking at James.  
  
"That is bound to get confusing." James muttered, pushing away his plate. "What class do we have first today?"  
  
Ron glanced down at his schedule. "Uhm...Divination, it looks like. We're starting advanced flame-scrying today."  
  
"There might be a problem with that." James muttered. "I've never taken Divination...what if I don't know what to do?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You make it up, that is all that Harry and Ron ever do."  
  
James grinned. "Oh, really? Does she believe it?"  
  
"Yeah, if you predict your death enough." Ron sighed. "It has been her yearly prediction to see Harry's death in the near future."  
  
"And how many times has he come close to dying?" James grinned.  
  
"Quite a few times, actually." Ron shrugged. "It gets annoying, after awhile."  
  
They left Hermione and began making their way up to the Divination room. The ladder was already falling from the ceiling, and it looked like the rest of the class had already headed up. "Let's go." Ron said, pointing up.  
  
"Weird." James shimmied up the rope and into the room. He pulled himself up and glanced around, grinning at Lavender and Parvati. "Hello, ladies." He winked. With an astonished look, the two girls giggled.  
  
"Come on, Romeo." Ron sighed, steering James to a table in the back of the room. They were sitting just as Professor Trelawney entered from the shadows.  
  
"Hello, class." She said in a 'mystical' tone. "We are here, in your final year, to fine tune the makings of your inner eye. In this way, we hope to get you in touch with that which you should know, and all that will be."  
  
"And that means..." James started, laughing when Ron poked him in the ribs.  
  
"Harry...I see you still do not take the portents of your inner eye seriously?" she said, frowning. "That would change, if only you saw what I see, Harry. A dark cloud looms over your head, darker than ever before..."  
  
"Wow, you do like to tell---me---I'm going to die, don't you?" James snorted.  
  
The rest of her lecture continued much of the same vein. Finally, the candles were lit and sitting before them. Ron was glad.  
  
Only three teachers in the school knew of the predicament that James and Harry were in. Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore, of course. None of the other teachers had been told, though; Dumbledore supposed having the form of the famous James Potter, albeit the younger form, would cause undue trauma amongst everybody.  
  
"So..." James muttered after staring into the flame after a minute. "What exactly are we looking for?"  
  
"Beats me." Ron shrugged. "All I see is a flame...well, that and little multi-colored spots."  
  
"I see dead people." Neville hissed from a table nearby. Everybody in hearing distance broke into stifled laughter.  
  
"Uhm...and that was about...?"  
  
"Oh, nothing really. Just this muggle movie we all got hold of last year." Ron chuckled. "Now, back to this..." he stared for a few minutes.  
  
James tried to focus, he really did, but he couldn't help the fact that thoughts of 'this is dumb' and 'Lily really looked hot the other day...' kept popping into his head. After another long moment of trying he sat back, skulking.  
  
"Dear, I would be more cautious if I were you." Trelawney said mysteriously as she wandered over to James and Ron.  
  
"And...why exactly?" James said.  
  
"Concentrate, Harry...open your inner eye, let it see the wonders of the future..."  
  
James grinned. "Sorry, my inner eye was up reading late last night and it's a little tired. You wouldn't happen to have a monocle or something for it, would you?"  
  
Trelawney frowned as the entire class broke out laughing. "This does not bode well. I have seen that you will not be with us much longer...in fact, it is almost as if you were gone from us completely..."  
  
"Wonder why that is." He snorted under his breath to Ron, while the two girls who sat up front near Trelawney got astonished looks on their faces and looked pityingly at him.  
  
"Okay...one more go?" Ron said after a moment, when Trelawney had already left. James nodded and started staring one more time into the candle.  
  
He didn't know whether it was the combination of the thick, sickly smelling incense or the quiet staring into the flame, combined with the fact that he had hardly slept the night before, but after a moment James started drifting away.  
  
'I don't know, are you sure about this?' a strangely familiar voice asked.  
  
'Listen, now that Prongs is gone, you, as his son, are going to take his place.' Sirius grinned. 'So buck up, Harry, you're having an adventure!'  
  
'I've had too many lately...' James started when a face that looked almost identical to his came into view. He was standing in a dark hall with the rest---Peter, Sirius, and Remus, and they were going off in the direction of the kitchens...  
  
"What is it?" James jumped and fell out of his seat when a voice much louder than the muffled voices he had just heard sounded right next to his ear. He glanced up, rubbing his head where it had banged on the table. "You...you're scar didn't hurt again, did it?" The boy known as Neville Longbottom was standing over James, a worried look on his face.  
  
"What? No...no..." He slowly got to his feet. Trelawney was rushing over.  
  
"Dear, did you see? Has the future come to you?"  
  
"No...not exactly." He said. Trelawney got an almost hurt look on her face. James turned to whisper to Ron..."But the past did."  
  
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"I'm just glad Harry came when he did." Lily said, leaning back against the couch in the Gryffindor common room. "I mean, if he hadn't our lives would have gone on like they did in his past. Now that we know the future, we can prevent that."  
  
"Yeah...I know what you mean. I am NOT going to let them take me to Azkaban for twelve years." Sirius shuddered. "I mean, I may be a bit of a prankster..."  
  
"A liar..." Peter added.  
  
"A cheater..." Remus said, grinning.  
  
"An all-around..."  
  
"Okay...thanks for helping." Sirius huffed. "As I was saying, I may not be the best person in the world, but I'm not a murderer. Who framed me, anyway?" Sirius said, looking at Harry, who was sitting in a chair before the fire, lost in thought.  
  
"What?" he glanced up, seeing them all looking expectantly at him. "Oh, I don't really know who it was. I haven't learned much about you..." he lied. Remus glanced up at him but didn't say anything...Harry had the strong suspicion that Remus knew he was lying.  
  
But what was he to do? He couldn't depress them all by telling them that the past couldn't be changed. This was his only chance to get to know them as they had been, before Voldemort changed all their lives. This was the only chance he would ever get to know his mum at all, even if she was more like a fellow student than a parent.  
  
"Oh...okay." Sirius turned back, grinning.  
  
"So, tell me..." Remus said after a moment, peering over the book in his hand. "What am I doing in this future of yours?"  
  
"Actually," Harry grinned, "You were my professor for a year."  
  
"A professor?" Sirius scoffed. "How dare you, Remus? Go and betray us like that...Harry, did Remus ever deduct points from you? Did he ever berate you for breaking a rule? Because for that offense, you must die..."  
  
"Sirius, you are the physiological equivalent of a troll's gluteus maximus." Remus said, grinning.  
  
"What?" Sirius said, mouth hanging open.  
  
"He called you a troll's arse." Lily said, shrieking when Sirius reached over to grab her foot and pull her down onto the floor.  
  
Harry watched all this, grinning. After a moment, when things had settled down, Peter turned to Harry. This was what Harry had been dreading...he was prepared.  
  
"So...what am I doing?" he said, grinning. Harry was flustered.  
  
"Oh...well, I don't really know much about you. After my dad and...Lily died, I guess you didn't keep in touch. I think I heard you were...working in the ministry."  
  
"The ministry, Pettigrew?" Sirius said, making a face. "Come on, chap, you can do better than that. Peter, you're going to be an auror with me, you hear? Adventure, excitement...and hot witches in skimpy robes!" Sirius ducked as Lily sent a blow in his general direction.  
  
"I'll pass on the adventure and excitement." Peter said, making a face. "How about just letting me lead a nice, peaceful..."  
  
"Nope." Sirius said, shaking his head. "You can't do that...not now that you've taken the oath of the Marauders."  
  
Harry's head shot up...the marauders? Did that mean...  
  
"What oath?" Harry said cautiously. "Do you mean...the one on the Marauder's Map?" he said. All of the group turned to look at him.  
  
"Yes..." Sirius said. "Did you get the map from your dad?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No...I got it from my friend's brothers. They found it in Filch's cabinet of highly dangerous..."  
  
"Highly dangerous?" Sirius said, pretending to blush. "Aww...that makes me feel special. After all, that map was our very own creation..."  
  
"Yeah," Lily snorted, "Even though it required my help to make. Honestly, you boys would be dead by now if I hadn't helped you out on most of your little 'adventures.' "  
  
"Yes, but if you've seen the map..." Sirius said, slowly turning to Harry, "then you need to take the oath."  
  
They were all looking at him now...Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm...what are you going to do?" he said nervously.  
  
"Oh, nothing..." Sirius said. "Just...GRAB HIM!" On Sirius' command Remus and Peter rushed forward to grab Harry's arms and legs. Sirius and Lily followed, Lily laughing loudly.  
  
"Don't worry!" she shouted. "They've done this to me before, it's all part of their weird little initiation for some odd reason."  
  
Harry watched the ceiling fly past as they ran with him out the common room and down the hall. A group of Hufflepuffs burst out laughing when he passed, and still they carried him, further and further until they burst through the doors of the great hall, leading him on and on until Harry was certain where they were taking him.  
  
"The Lake!" Harry felt his stomach do a somersault as he was tossed, arms flailing, into the cold, icy water.  
  
"That was a good one, Peter." Remus commented. "We must have gotten him about thirty feet."  
  
"Yeah...been working on my arm, I have." Peter grinned. Harry waded to the surface, remembering in the back of his mind the second challenge of the Triwizard tournament in his fourth year.  
  
The group turned to look at him, Lily stifling giggles. "Say it!" Sirius cried. "Say it!"  
  
Before long the group started chanting it, over and over. "Say it! Say it! Say it! Say it!"  
  
"Say what?" Harry said, spitting water out of his mouth.  
  
"Say the oath!" Remus cried.  
  
Oath? Yes, that was right...the Marauder's Map...  
  
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good!" Harry said, bobbing under the water for a moment.  
  
"What was that?" Sirius said, cupping a hand behind his ear. "I couldn't hear you."  
  
"I SOLEMNLY SWEAR I AM UP TO NO GOOD!" Harry shouted. The group began laughing and cheering. Remus and Sirius bent down to pull Harry out of the lake.  
  
"Great show." Sirius snorted. "Tell me, was the water cold."  
  
"Why don't you jump in and see for yourself?" Harry retorted, shaking water out of his ears.  
  
"See, he is your son Lils." Sirius grinned. "Listen to that temper."  
  
An hour later, they had retired back to the common room, Harry having been dried in front of the fire. "What are you going to do here?" Remus yawned sleepily. "I mean, are you going to be disguised as James?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No...we're just going to say that I've been taking home lessons until now, and for our last year our mums decided to have us switch places. I'm supposed to be his cousin. So, don't tell anybody, all right?"  
  
"Oh come on. We're Marauders...rule-breaking is always so much more fun than any other sport...besides Quidditch, that is. Do you play Quidditch at all?" he asked.  
  
Harry grinned. "A little...after being on a broom for the first time in my entire life and catching a Remembrall on a fifty-foot dive, McGonagall made me the youngest ever seeker on a house team in a century."  
  
The group just stared. "That's...wow." Sirius appeared to be drooling. "Our seeker graduated last year...if you're as good as you say you are, you're on the team."  
  
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Hiya! Sorry it's taken me awhile to get this up, but hey, I've been busy with my other four stories! I am an idiot, I know, I really shouldn't be writing five stories at once, but oh well...  
  
Thanks for the great response on the last two chapters! I hadn't decided if I was going to continue this.  
  
Do you think you could do me a favor, though? I still haven't got all that many readers for my other two stories...do you think you could be great, great kiddies and go read them? They are all under Megx...go read, please! 


	4. The Dark Room

Merlin's Portal and the Tales of Time  
  
Author's Note: Wow! You like this story, huh? It was an experiment, I didn't know if I would continue, but I guess I will, thanks for all the nice things you said!  
  
Disclaimer: If I was J.K. would I be writing fanfiction? Heck no! I'd be wallowing in my piles of money and writing the NEXT HP book for all us loyal HPFREAKS!  
  
Chapter Four  
  
James was sitting on the couch, looking into the fire. "Uhm...can we sit here?" Ron asked hesitantly. James glanced up...Ron and Hermione were standing over him, looking at him expectantly.  
  
"Oh, yeah, sure." He turned back to the fire as they sat down. After a long moment he asked, "Have you ever seen things...like, things from the past?"  
  
"What?" Ron looked at him. "No, not really. Why?"  
  
"In Divination, what happened...I was seeing Remus, and Sirius and them, and they were talking to my...well, you know. Harry. I don't know how, but I saw it."  
  
Hermione looked at him strangely. "You...you saw him? Do you think it's because you're connected somehow, what with the portal?"  
  
James shrugged and leaned back. "I don't know. All I know is I'm going to try and see if I can somehow communicate with him. Maybe if we can do that, we can figure out a way to make it so we change time..."  
  
Looking nervously at him, Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, it seems pretty dodgy."  
  
James stood suddenly. "Listen, I'm not going to die and my best friend isn't going to jail. So don't try and convince me not to do what I'm going to do...if it changes the future, we can deal with it, but I am not going to just stand by and let things happen!"  
  
"Okay..." Hermione looked down at the floor. Calming, James sat back down, brooding.  
  
"So...Quidditch season starts soon." Ron said, ready to change the conversation. "Harry's supposed to be captain, know. So you'll be taking his place...he's a seeker, though..."  
  
James looked up. "Seeker? I can't play seeker. I'm a chaser."  
  
"I know." Ron sighed. "My sister Ginny is reserve seeker, she'll take his place. We have an empty spot on the team...the beaters are Seamus and Dean, from our dorm, and the other chasers are Colin Creevey, a sixth year, and his brother Dennis, a fifth year. I'm keeper."  
  
"Really?" James grinned. Ron's tactics appeared to have worked. "That's great...I can't wait to get started. What type of brooms do you have now?"  
  
"Well, Harry has the best type of broom in the world, but he took it back in the past with him. So I guess you can get a Nimbus Extreme, unless you want to shell out a hundred fifty galleons for a Firebolt."  
  
"What? That must be some broom." James sighed. "Just thinking about a broom that costs that much makes me dreamy..."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Quidditch obsessed...like father, like son."  
  
James turned to her and grinned. "Hey, I wouldn't have it any other way."  
  
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James yawned as he sat down at the breakfast table. "Pass the salt, will you?" he muttered wearily. He blindly thanked the person that handed him the salt and dug into his breakfast.  
  
"Morning." Hermione said cheerfully as she sat beside him.  
  
"Yeah...okay." James muttered back. Hermione frowned.  
  
"Not a morning person, are you?" she asked. James just moaned and took a large swig of pumpkin juice.  
  
"Hello." Ron walked over. Having seen the previous exchange, he didn't direct the greeting to James but to Hermione. She smiled at him.  
  
"Good morning, Ron." She sighed. "Can you believe that it's going to be our first potions class of our last year this morning?" she said.  
  
"Yeah...no more Snape after this year." Ron said happily. "It'll be like a lifelong vacation."  
  
James spat out his juice and looked up. "We have Snape this morning?" he said, now wide-awake.  
  
"Yeah. Actually, it's a double period, we have it till lunch."  
  
"Oh...great." James said, shaking his head. "This is going to be fun."  
  
"Uhm...you aren't going to try anything, are you James?" Hermione hissed, looking around. "I mean, he can take points from you now. He..."  
  
"Listen, I know Snape." James said evilly. "Trust me."  
  
"Yeah...that'll be the day." Hermione said, rolling her eyes.  
  
They made their way to the dungeon slowly, bypassing the Slytherins. When they got there, the classroom was mostly empty. Snape looked up sharply as James sat, Ron and Hermione on either side of him. "Potter..." he hissed. "Amazing...how little things change over the years."  
  
"Are you kidding?" James snorted. "You look like hell, man. What've the years done to you?" Then, as if in a spurt of sudden realization, James smacked himself on the forehead. "Oh, sorry chap, I forgot, you always did look like the rear of a troll. Well, then, perhaps things don't change."  
  
"Enough!" Snape snarled, slamming a fist on the table. "Ten...no, twenty points for disturbing a teacher."  
  
Hermione clapped her hand over James' mouth as he opened. "No...let that one go, you hear me?"  
  
James sighed as she took her hand away. "And it was the perfect opportunity, too." James said with regret.  
  
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"What classes do we have today?" Harry yawned as he sat down at the table.  
  
"A late sleeper, aren't you?" Lily chortled. "Breakfast started a half- hour ago."  
  
Harry shrugged, unwilling to answer. The truth was, he hadn't slept much the night before, and hadn't gotten deep into sleep until just before dawn. The nightmares, it appeared, weren't getting any better...and if they wouldn't go away twenty or so years in the past, Harry didn't know where he'd have the pleasant absence of their nightly torture.  
  
"We have Muggle Studies." Remus said, glancing up.  
  
"Oh, really?" Harry glanced at his schedule. "I've never had it before. I took Divination."  
  
"I wish I had." Sirius said forlornly. "I was forced to take Muggle Studies because Remus and Lily said I needed to 'challenge' myself. Too tell the truth, I think I would have been perfectly challenged in Divination."  
  
"Come on." Lily snorted. "You do nothing in that class. Repeat after me...nothing."  
  
"Exactly." Sirius grinned as Lily tossed a crust of toast at him, which he caught in his mouth and spat out on his plate.  
  
"Good dog." She said absently.  
  
Harry only managed to get a few bites of sausage before the owls swooped down from overhead. This was another thing Harry missed...Hedwig. Unlike his trunk, he couldn't exactly have shrunk her. He only hoped that she had somehow gotten somewhere safe.  
  
But as he glanced up, he saw a large package heading his way. He gasped and scooted back when the package landed before him on the table. "What's this?" he said in wonder. Sirius snorted.  
  
"It's your mommie's care package...well, actually it's your grandmum's. She sends one to James every two weeks."  
  
"What's it got?" Harry asked.  
  
"Toothbrush, sweets, soap, and sweets, a fresh change of knickers, and then there are the sweets..."  
  
"Stop thinking about it Sirius." Lily commanded. "You're drooling."  
  
After running the package back up to his dormitory, Harry started walking down the long hallway to the Muggle Studies classroom. He wasn't worried overmuch about this class, seeing as how he had spent ten years of his life plus every summer since in a muggle home, but it still made him slightly nervous to walk in and suddenly see a television sitting on the desk...such a thing seemed so out of place within Hogwarts that it was like being sucked out of a dream into reality.  
  
"What?" he said suddenly, glancing over. "Snape has this class?"  
  
"Yeah..." Remus said in disgust. "He's the only Slytherin that even takes the class. Don't know why."  
  
"Probably to make muggle-torturing easier later on when he gets his after- school job." Sirius said with irritation.  
  
They sat down in the back, in the farthest corner possible, and Lily showed him the way the four had devised to talk in class (Peter hadn't taken Muggle Studies, and in fact had taken Divination). Under each desk was a small platform used to set one's books on. It had quickly been discovered that, by placing the note on this platform, one could perform a levitation charm and retrieve a letter without the teacher being any the wiser.  
  
Harry talked for the first half-hour of class this way, but soon the night caught up with him and he became quite drowsy. He slipped away and in a moment some very familiar voices came to him.  
  
'Sorry sir, I didn't mean to spill my Transmogrifying Tonic on Malfoy, it slipped...'  
  
'Potter, I will see to it you are severely punished for this...I recognize your antics when I see them.' Snape said icily.  
  
'Look what you've done now." Hermione said nervously. 'James, please, be more careful...'  
  
'Yeah,' Ron chided, 'though it was funny to see Malfoy's head swell to twice its size...'  
  
Harry jerked up suddenly, realizing who the voices belonged to. He glanced around the room quickly, but it was as it had been when he dozed off. The teacher continued droning on and on, and a note in front of him loudly proclaimed that, "SIRIUS BLACK, REMUS LUPIN, AND JA---ERM, HARRY POTTER ARE THE SEXIEST MEN ALIVE!"  
  
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Harry sat in front of the fireplace, wondering. He watched the flames rising high and low in the grate, reflecting on what had happened. He had been half-asleep...could he somehow have really connected to what James was experiencing, in Harry's own time? There was only one way to find out...he slowly let himself drift away, focusing on hearing his father's voice one more time...  
  
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James sighed as he slouched down on the overstuffed chair, looking broodingly into the fire. It had happened again, today, when he had dozed off in Transfiguration...he had just seen Harry come into focus when he was awoken by McGonagall's angry snorting, and had lost contact. He watched the fire burning in the grate and let himself fall into the darkness, not knowing what to expect...  
  
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The two boys stumbled forward into the large, darkened room. James looked up in reverence at the ceiling that reached up so far, one could barely see the top. He let out a low, long whistle.  
  
Harry glanced over when he heard the whistle and felt the blood rush from his face. He took a step back as he stared at him. "Dad?" he said after a long moment. James turned quickly to face him.  
  
"You're...you're Harry!" he said suddenly. He rushed forward. "Wow...I mean, does this mean we can go back to our own times?" he said excitedly.  
  
Harry didn't answer...he was staring at James in awe. "I...I don't know." He finally said after a long moment. "Where are we?"  
  
James shrugged. "I don't know. But...look, behind you...where you came from. There's a door, and another one like it over here. Do you think we could just...I don't know, walk back into our own times?"  
  
Without saying anything, Harry walked forward quickly, stumbling when he reached the midpoint of the room, where his and James' side met. He disappeared and in a moment walked straight out of the door from which he came. James' eyes widened. "We can't get through." Harry said. "You're...you're my dad!" he said excitedly.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed." James said. He looked at the center. "Do you think I could get over there from my side?" he said. Harry shook his head. James walked quickly towards it, thinking perhaps it was like the wall at King's Cross...you had to take it at a bit of a run if you were nervous. But he too reappeared at the door. "What the he..."  
  
"You won't get out that way." A voice chuckled. Both turned and stared at the figure that emerged from the shadow.  
  
"Sweet bloody Merlin." Harry said in astonishment.  
  
"Come now, that's not very nice." The wizened wizard chuckled. "My name is just Merlin...my first name is neither Sweet nor is it Bloody."  
  
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In the same chair, twenty years apart, James and Harry both woke with a start, remembering the conversation with Merlin in the old room. And, if neither was mistaken, they had also realized one more thing...if they did things right, they would be able to change the past...but if it wasn't a perfect save, then the world was in grave danger.  
  
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Hiya! What do you think of that chapter? I thought it was an interesting way to have Harry and James sort of meet. Tell me what you think, okay? I like reviews, I feed off them, please don't starve my ego! 


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